# Artur Mas

### Context

Artur Mas is best understood through the office and institutional setting in which the record was made, rather than through reputation alone. Mas, president of Catalonia from 2010 to 2016, shifted from autonomy-focused Catalan nationalism toward an independence process that culminated in the 2014 non-binding consultation. [Reuters via La Tribune](https://www.latribune.fr/depeches/reuters/KBN16K1KP/l-ex-gouverneur-de-catalogne-condamne-a-deux-ans-d-ineligibilite.html) provides the documentary anchor for that role. Spanish courts later convicted him of disobedience in connection with proceeding with that vote despite a suspension, and he was temporarily barred from public office. This matters because formal authority determines what could reasonably be attributed to Artur Mas and what remained in the hands of other officials, courts, parties, agencies or armed actors. Mas’s record turns on a constitutional conflict between democratic mobilization for self-determination and the legal limits imposed by Spain’s constitutional order. A useful reading therefore starts with chronology, separates personal choices from structural constraints, and treats later political claims as claims unless they are supported by the cited record.

## Dated facts

- 2017: Mas barred from public office over 9N vote. https://factrail.ai/facts/mas-barred-from-office-2017-03-13. Sources: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-39258436, https://www.elperiodico.com/es/politica/20170313/texto-integro-fallo-sentencia-9n-5893943, https://elpais.com/politica/2017/03/13/actualidad/1489411172_601361.html, https://www.rtve.es/noticias/20170313/mas-condenado-a-dos-anos-inhabilitacion-por-desobediencia-por-mantener-consulta-del-9n/1502982.shtml.
- 2014: Mas government holds 9N Catalan independence vote. https://factrail.ai/facts/mas-holds-9n-consultation-2014-11-09. Sources: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/nov/09/catalans-vote-symbolic-referendum-independence-catalonia-madrid.

## Methodology

https://factrail.ai/methodology

Canonical: https://factrail.ai/people/artur-mas